To participate in public life is to recognize that periodic defeat is inevitable. Sometimes, defeat occurs far more often than we would like.

Earlier this month, conservatives in four states lost battles to defend marriage as the union of one man and one woman. President Obama's re-election presages almost invariably the appointment of men and women to our Supreme Court and the lower federal courts who believe Roe was decided rightly and that the Constitution's meaning is malleable. The list could go on, but the point would be the same: This was a heartbreaking month for social conservatives.

So, do we quit? Certainly not. We consider ways of reframing our enduring message and means of persuading those wary of our vision for the country. Yet abandonment of truth is never a morally acceptable alternative to those who believe that right and wrong are defined not by popular consensus but by the self-revelation of an eternal God in the Bible and in the "laws of nature."

Moreover, all is not gloom and doom: In the 2011-2012 sessions of their legislatures, states enacted 131 laws that in some way temper access to abortion on demand. These include " bans on abortions at 20 weeks; 24- to 72-hour waiting periods; and a requirement to inform women of suicide risks if they seek an abortion" (Source: CBS News). Massachusetts voters rejected physician-assisted suicide, and in Montana voters passed a measure that requires every young woman of 15 or under who seeks an abortion to notify her parents.

In all of this, there is a larger point we dare not lose: Although we play for very high stakes - among them, the sanctity of unborn life, the dignity of women, the centrality of religious liberty, and marriage as defined in Scripture and practiced for 3,500 years of recorded history - we must never delude ourselves that these battles ever will be fully or finally won.

The ultimate triumph of truth rests in the hands of a King Whose guidance of time and history often is mysterious and Who alone has the power to ensure that right prevails. Until He chooses to consummate our fallen human affairs, it is out duty always to champion righteousness and justice in the public square. As T.S. Eliot wrote, "Combat may have truces, but never a peace." Why? Because as long as man exists, so will evil and its manifestations in society and government. Thus, although permanent wins are impossible, fighting for all the victories we can, for as long as we can sustain them, is essential.

For however long Christians win or lose on the field of moral combat, we remain faithful, animated by the courage and confidence of those for whom victory is assured not by human effort but the sovereignty of a good and omnipotent God. It's a fight worth waging, and never quitting.

Sincerely,

Rob SchwarzwalderSenior Vice-PresidentFamily Research Council

P.S. Be sure to join us, in person or online, for Dr. Russell Moore's upcoming presentation on adoption and its relevance to Christian compassion and calling. It takes place this coming Tuesday, December 4 at 12:00 noon EST. Register or watch here.